1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to mechanics creepers. More particularly, this invention relates to mechanics creepers including a mechanics light for illuminating a working area underneath a vehicle.
2. Description of the Background Art
Presently, there exist many types of mechanics lights for illuminating the working area of the mechanic. Mechanics lights may comprise a traditional "drop light" whereas other types of mechanics lights are integrated with mechanics seats or creepers.
More particularly, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,357, a work-illuminating electric lamp is disclosed as being supported by an upright support of a conventional mechanics seat. Casters on the bottom of the mechanics seat allow the mechanics seat to be rolled around the periphery of the vehicle being worked on and the upstanding electric lamp optimally illuminates the work area from above and behind the mechanic's head.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,698,731, 4,986,558 and 5,392,201 disclose various types of lights that are attached to or otherwise integrated with creepers. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,731, the light is integrated at the head portion of the mechanics creeper so as to optimally illuminate the underside of the vehicle from above the mechanic's head who is laying in a prone position on the mechanics creeper. U.S. Pat. 4,986,558 discloses paired, battery-operated lights which are mounted on an attachment to a mechanics creeper at opposing sides of the head portion of the mechanics creeper. The disclosures of each of the above-referenced patents are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Unfortunately, it should be readily apparent that the above-described lights for mechanics creepers and seats suffer from the disadvantage of requiring structural changes to the mechanics creeper or seat or otherwise requiring complicated methods for connecting the light to the mechanics creeper or seat. Moreover, the above-described mechanics lights generally require specially configured designs that can be incorporated into the mechanics creepers or seats as disclosed.
In view of the foregoing, there presently exists a need for a light bracket assembly for an "off-the-shelf" light that can be easily incorporated into a mechanics creeper without structural changes to the creeper itself. In this manner, the light bracket assembly may be easily retrofitted to existing designs of mechanics creepers as well as for sale in the aftermarket for retrofitting to existing mechanics creepers in wide use by mechanics.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvement which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the mechanics creeper art.
Another object of this invention is to provide an integrated mechanics creeper and light which optimally provides illumination from above and behind the mechanic's head while in a prone position on the mechanics creeper underneath a vehicle.
Another object of this invention is to provide a bracket assembly for mechanics lights that may be easily connected to existing designs of mechanics creepers.
Another object of this invention is to provide a light bracket assembly that may be easily connected to existing designs of mechanics creepers to allow conventional, off-the-shelf mechanics lights to be used in connection with a mechanics creeper to provide light from above and behind the mechanic's head.
The foregoing has outlined some of the pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.